COLLEGE OF THE CANYONS: HE'S CAST IN A GOOD ROLE SAUZO GIVES COC CONSISTENT PLAY.Byline: Nevin Barich Nevin Barich (born August 6, 1979) is a former American sports journalist now working as the Senior Editor of The National Notary, a trade magazine based in Los Angeles with a circulation of more than 300,000 nationwide. Staff Writer Ricardo Suazo was never preoccupied pre·oc·cu·pied adj. 1. a. Absorbed in thought; engrossed. b. Excessively concerned with something; distracted. 2. Formerly or already occupied. 3. with being the main man in college. After all, he was never the main man in high school. That's why Suazo has been a key role player for the College of the Canyons College of the Canyons is one of the fastest-growing community colleges in the state. According to the National Junior College Research Association, College of the Canyons consistently ranks in the top 50 community colleges in the nation. men's basketball team. The 6-foot-6 sophomore power forward is averaging nine points and leading the Cougars with eight rebounds a game. Many college freshmen have a lot of trouble adjusting simply because they're used to being stars in high school. So not only do those players need to learn to play at a higher level, they need to learn how to do so in a reduced role. Suazo, though, learned how to be a role player while playing for Verbum Dei High in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. . He was a member of the teams that won back-to-back Southern Section Division IV titles in 1998 and 1999. ``There, I played with All-Americans Dalron Johnson and Marlon Parmer,'' Suazo said. ``So it was clear what kind of role I was going to have. Being a role player was what was needed. It was a responsibility that I took on.'' Canyons assistant coach Jeff Young
Jeff Young is an American guitarist. He graduated from Musicians Institute in 1985, and is best known for his time with the thrash metal band said Suazo's high school experience would prove invaluable in college. ``It was definitely a huge factor,'' Young said. ``Rico's situation in high school forced him to work harder to stand out. Also, his high school coach gave him a kind of humbleness you really don't see in high school kids. He's just real humble about what he does. He doesn't need that spotlight, that superstar stature, like other kids do. He's just happy doing what he does.'' Suazo, for his part, thought the transition to college was easy. ``My role just kind of carried over from high school,'' Suazo said. ``Being a role player was my job in high school and so I was used to it when I came to COC See chip on chip. . It was something that I did best.'' Once at Canyons, Suazo showed the kind of ability that made him an effective power forward despite weighing just 180 pounds. ``I'm just a really aggressive player with a great work ethic work ethic n. A set of values based on the moral virtues of hard work and diligence. work ethic Noun a belief in the moral value of work that allows me to keep up with a lot of these big guys,'' Suazo said. This season, he was asked to take more of leadership role on the team, something he was never asked to do before. ``I think I always had the potential to do so,'' Suazo said. ``I just didn't use that potential to my advantage. I was used to playing the role I had to play, but I always believed I had it in me to do more.'' It took a while, but Suazo was eventually able to raise his scoring and rebounding numbers, and more importantly control the ball himself instead of passing it off to teammates. He had a breakthrough game last month when he scored a career-high 19 points against Cuesta cuesta (kwĕs`tə), asymmetric ridge characterized by a short, steep escarpment on one side, and a long, gentle slope on the other. The steep side exposes the edge of erosion-resistant rock layers that form the cuestas. . ``Rico has become more of a vocal leader,'' said Canyons head coach Howard Fisher. ``He's a hard worker not only because of his ability but because of his temperament temperament, in music, the altering of certain intervals from their acoustically correct values to provide a system of tuning whereby music can move from key to key without unacceptably impure sonorities. . His teammates always listen to him because he stays focused.'' Suazo is looking to continue his career at a Division II school. Front- runners include Cal State Dominguez Hills, Hawaii-Hilo, Regis University Campuses Regis University has several campuses throughout the state of Colorado. The main campus is located in northwest Denver at 50th and Lowell Boulevard. Other sites include: Aurora, Longmont, Colorado Springs, Denver Tech Center, Fort Collins and Interlocken at Broomfield. in Colorado and Heron University in South Dakota South Dakota (dəkō`tə), state in the N central United States. It is bordered by North Dakota (N), Minnesota and Iowa (E), Nebraska (S), and Wyoming and Montana (W). . ''I don't really have a preference,'' Suazo said. ''I just want to play and get an education.'' SUAZO FILE Who: Ricardo Suazo What: power forward, College of the Canyons men's basketball team Quote: ''Rico is one of those lunch-pail kids. He works very hard and puts up consistent numbers for us. He's very valuable for us. He's a real intense player who leads by example.'' - Assistant coach Jeff Young CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: Ricardo Suazo never has been one for the spotlight, but he is an important player at College of the Canyons, averaging nine points and eight rebounds. Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News Box: SUAZO FILE (see text) |
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